Adequate heating and cooling for livestock facilities are a major concern within the industry. The presence of a large number of animals in an enclosed facility can result in a large amount of excess heat being generated by the livestock themselves and by the interior environment of the facility. One conventional solution for this problem is the use of industrial curtain vents. Curtain vents selectively block or open one or more vents to respectively restrict or facilitate egress and ingress of airflow between the interior of the facility and the outside environment.
A curtain machine, also referred to as a curtain/vent machine, may be used to automatically raise or lower curtain vents to avoid the need for manual control. The curtain machine uses a powerful electric motor to rotate a threaded member, thereby moving a load block up and down in the linear direction. The load block may be operably connected to one or more curtains, for example via one or more cables, thereby allowing the motor to selectively raise or lower the curtains, which may be made of metal or other heavy materials.
One drawback of conventional curtain machines is that the machine and its components are exposed to the internal environment of the facility, which may subject the components to a high temperature and/or humidity over sustained periods of time. The hot and humid environment of the facility can result in accelerated corrosion of the metal components of the machine, and can significantly shorten the useful life of the machine and its components.